PhD-student position in Medical Sciences with a research profile in oncology research - Befattningen är under tillsättning eller redan tillsatt, och det är inte längre möjligt att lämna in en ansökan

This announced position is placed at the Department of Radiation Sciences and also connected to the Wallenberg Centre for Molecular medicine (WCMM) at Umeå University. WCMM in Umeå is part of a national plan for Sweden to regain its leading position in medical research (wcmm.umu.se).

This position will be funded by the Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network “PRECODE - PancREatic Cancer OrganoiDs rEsearch Network” within the Horizon 2020 Programme of the European Commission. PRECODE is a consortium of high-profile universities, research institutions and companies located in Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Exchange programs will be developed, where students are given good opportunities to interact and work with researchers from other research groups within PRECODE.

Project description:

Pancreatic cancer has a very high mortality rate and currently no effective treatment options are available. A unique feature of the disease is the pronounced fibrotic stroma that surrounds tumour cells. This tumour stroma consists of an extracellular matrix (ECM) and fibroblasts, which together provide the cancer cells with important signals that regulate tumour growth. This makes the stroma an interesting target from a treatment perspective, but the lack of knowledge in the complexity of the stroma has hampered the development of drugs targeting stromal interactions.

In this project you will refine the isolation and culturing conditions for human pancreatic and stroma cell co-cultures, and participate in the development of assays for high-throughput screenings of human co-cultures. By manipulating the expression of the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in the co-culture model and assay the biological changes in the co-culture, the goal is to get a deeper understanding in the functional diversity found in the ECM of pancreatic cancer. This will help us to define stromal elements that contribute differently to the pathophysiology of pancreatic cancer. This knowledge will then be used to develop and test drugs that selectively target the pro-tumourigenic interactions between the tumour cells and the ECM.

As a PhD-student you will be involved in the PRECODE education and exchange program, which includes internships and secondments, a variety of training modules as well as transferable skills courses and active participation in workshops and conferences.

Qualifications:

Applicants must hold a University degree of at least 240 credits (ECTS), including 60 credits at advanced level, or equivalent levels of education. This degree must not be older than 4 years old at the time the registration of the application. Furthermore, the applicants are required to undertake trans-national mobility (i.e. move from one country to another) when taking up the appointment. At the time of selection, the applicant must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Sweden for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment. Short stays, such as holidays, are not taken into account.

In addition, the applicant should, through university studies or other equivalent education, have gained basic theoretical knowledge in biomedicine or molecular/cell biology, and have good experience of laboratory work, method development, and different biochemical methods of analysis. Practical experience of cell culture and work with mouse models is a merit. The applicant must be able to work both independently and as part of a team, and much focus will be given to the candidate’s potential collaborative skills.

Specific admission requirements:

For special eligibility, the following requirements apply to medical students and physicians: Approved course in oncology in the medical program or equivalent.

The following applies to students with a background other than studies in the medical program: In each individual case, the reference group examines the applicant's knowledge and, if these are considered to correspond to the prerequisites required to obtain postgraduate studies, the applicant can be accepted.

The applicant must also be skilled in both oral and written communication in English, and this is evaluated by a presentation of the research plan in English for the supervisor and the postgraduate studies board of the department.

Additional information about the position:

Provided by assistant professor Daniel Öhlund, Department of Radiation Sciences/WCMM, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, SWEDEN (E-mail: daniel.ohlund@ umu.se).

Application:

The application should contain:

• a cover letter with description of your research experience, research interests and motivation for the application,
• curriculum vitae, including degrees and previous work experience,
• copy of relevant degrees with certifications,
• copies of Bachelor/Master thesis work and relevant publications
• contact information to two reference persons

The application must be registered in the Umeå University e-recruitment system no later than 2020-01-23.

Start date:

By agreement

Other information:

https://www.aurora.umu.se/enheter/medfak/forskarutbildning/doktorandhandboken/

We are looking forward to receive your application!